Combination packing case and desk



Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,222,318 COMBINATION PACKING CASE AND DESK I Herbert G. MeLauthlin, Lexington, Mass. Application February 3, 1938,, Serial No. 188,521

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a packing case which, in opened position, canbe utilized as a furniture piece, and particularly to a case composed of two hinged sections which can be opened -18 0 relative to each other to form a desk or secretary.

It is anobject of my invention to provide a substantial and roomy packing case, made from the usual stock, adapted for use in the shipment of heavy materials, as books, and capable of withstanding the rough treatment given to such cases during transportation; and, at the same time, allowing its use, when desired, as an attractive and very acceptable desk.

To this end, my packing case is designed with 3 special attention to the line of juncture between the hinged sections, whereby, when the sections are in unfolded position, the front edges thereof will give the desk a configuration which is especially desirable and attractive. Such configuration includes an intermediate portion of the front edges which lie in a plane which is substantially at an angle of 45 tothe base of the desk, thus giving to the desk a Governor Winthrop effect.

With such arrangement, my desk is also adapted for incorporation of desirable shelves and a writing surface, and for the inclusion of suitable handles, and of combination supports for the desk and closure means for permanently fixing the hinged sections together to prevent opening of the box during its transportation as a packing case, all as will be set forth more fully in connection with the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my packing box in its unfolded form as a desk;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the desk of Fig. 1 converted into a packing box; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan of the packing case shown in Fig. 2.

My packing case is preferably a rectangularly shaped box formed of two sections I0 and 30. The section I0 includes a back wall I I, a top wall I2, a bottom wall I3 and two side walls I4 and I5 connecting the top and bottom walls I2 and I3. As shown, the top wall I2 is of less depth n the bottom wall I3, and the front edges of the connecting side walls I4 and I5 include portions I3 and I! adjacent the bottom wall I3, which lie in a plane normal to bottom wall I3. Adjacent the top wall I2, the front edges of connecting side walls I4 and I5 taper as shown, to form front edges I8 and I9, which lie in a plane at an angle of approximately 45 to the top wall I2 and the edge portions I6 and I1. Preferably, the front edge 23 of top wall I2 is tapered inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, to lie in the same plane as edges I8 and I9.

The other section 30, as shown in Fig. is superposed on the lower section I0. It also comprises a bottom wall 32, a top wall 33, and two connecting side walls 34 and 35. -Preferably, the bottom wall 32 has anouter surface dimension equal to that of the outer surface dimension of top wall I2. These walls I2 and 32 are hingedly connected together as by hinges 50, so that the section is adapted to be hingedly folded through 180 to the form shown in Fig. 2, the edges of walls 32, 33, 34 and 35 of section 30 being so formed as to abut the front edges of section I0. In the preferred form of my device this will include a tapered edge on the bottom wall 32, which, in closed position of the packing case, will lie flush against the tapered front edge 20 of top wall I2. As shown, the hinges 50 are suitably inset in the walls I2 and 32 so that in the position shown in Fig. 1 the outer surfaces of walls I2 and 32 will lie flush against each other.

As is illustrated by the desk shown in Fig. the container in unfolded form has a novel configuration, including the bottom edge portions I6 and I1, lying in one plane, the top edge portions 36 and 31 lying in a parallel plane, and the intermediate connecting edges I8, I9 and 38, 39, lying in a plane disposed at an angle of approximately to the other edges. This intermediate cut-back effect, especially in my preferred form of a straight line out back effect, forms an especially desirable desk configuration.

My container may be provided with fixed shelves, at any desirable intervals. In order to provide a suitable writing surface, I have incorporated in the packing box a slidable shelf 52, which is slidably supported interiorly of the section Ill, between a top fixed shelf 53 and a pair of cleats 54, which are preferably formed with front tapered surfaces 55, which permit an inclination of the sliding shelf 52 as it is withdrawn from the section II], thus allowing use of the shelf in an angled position.

In order to make provision for the inclusion of the shelf 52 during use of the container as a packing case, and, at the same time, make its presence useful, I space one of the upper shelves 56 a distance from top wall 33, exactly equal to the depth of the shelf 52. An intermediate shelf 5'! is set in the section 30 to terminate a distance from the edges 36 and 31, equal to the thickness of the shelf 52. Thus, after the section 30 has been packed, the shelf 52 may be set inwardly of the section, resting on the edge of shelf and will hold the goods in the upper portion of section 3!! during the closing of the packing box.

My device may also be provided with additional extensions Bil and SI, which form not only convenient closure means for the packing box, but also provide additional support for the desk form of my device. As shown, the bottom edges of these extensions 60 and BI are in a plane with the outer surface of bottom wall l3, and are'so attached to the section l0 that the section 30 folds between them, thus allowing the insertion of fastening means such as the screws 62 shown in Fig. 2, through the extensions 60 and BI, into the side walls 34 and 35 of the section 30-, thus locking the sections together during shipment. As shown in the drawing, I also provide on the outer surfacesof side walls I4 and 15, strengthening'ri'bs 63 and E i, each of which may be provided with a rope 6'5 suitably inserted into grooves in' the ribs, to provide convenient handles for the packing case.

I claim:

A combination desk and. packing case comprising, in desk form, two sections superposed one uponthe' other, each section including a back wall, a bottom wall, a top wall, and connecting side walls, the top wall of each section being of less depth than the bottom wall of the same section, the abutting top wall of the lower section and bottom wall of the upper section being of substantially equal dimensions and being hinged along their front edges, exposed front 1 edges of said side Walls lying wholly in three planes with the lower front edges of the lower section and the upper front edges of the upper section lying in parallel planes disposed at an angle of 90 to the plane of thetop Wall of the lower section, and with the intermediate connecting upper edges of the lower section and lower edges of the upper section lying in a plane disposed at an angle of substantially 45 to said parallel planes, and extensions attached to and protruding forwardly from the side Walls of said lower section and having bottom edges thereof lying in a plane with the outer surface of the bottom wall of said lower section, whereby upon hinging one of said sections 180" relative to the other, the front edges of said side; top and' bottom walls will form" a line of juncture through the side, top and bottom Walls of a rectangularly shaped'box, said extensions overlapping the side walls of said upper-section to permit insertion of fastening means.

HERBERT G. McLAUTI-ILIN. 

